To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the Government Office for the West Midlands to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North dated 12 March, on community wardens; why the letter was not acknowledged; and if she will take steps to ensure that correspondence to Government offices (a) is acknowledged and (b) receives a substantive reply within a reasonable period. (133138)

A substantive response was sent on 18 April.

The Government office has a system in place to issue acknowledgements in respect of correspondence where a substantive reply is unlikely to be provided in 15 working days. Unfortunately, on this occasion this was not adhered to and I offer my hon. Friend sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused.